The Giants prevented left tackle Will Beatty from becoming a free agent by signing him to a five-year contract on Wednesday. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Beatty is set to earn $38.75 million over the course of the deal, with $19 million of it guaranteed and a $12.5 million signing bonus as part of it.

Beatty, who turns 28 on March 2, established himself as a sturdy starter for the Giants in 2012, showing he could be durable after two previous injury-riddled seasons. The Giants didn't want to take any chances losingEli Manning's blindside pass protector to the open market next month.

With Beatty off the market, teams will need to look at Miami's Jake Long and Kansas City's Branden Albertfor top-flight left tackle help among veterans. There's a slim chance the Dolphins could still use the franchise tag on Long.

Albert likely won't be re-signed, as the Chiefs likely will move on with a rookie—either Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher—with the first overall draft pick.